Editorial note:
After publication, Major Drilling requested that their data be changed from calendar to fiscal years, as this provides a more accurate comparison.
In Focus: Company results
For FY25 (ended April 30), Major Drilling reported 2 591 763 m (8 503 160 ft). This is an increase of over 55 000 m (180 446 ft) from FY24. Notably, Latin American Explomin Perforaciones which was acquired by Major Drilling Group in November 2024, is included in FY25 and is no longer listed as a separate entity. For FY24, when Explomin was a separate entity, its diamond drilling results were 586 811 m (1 925 233 ft). RC drilling results for the entire Group indicate more significant growth—1 287 131 m (4 222 871 ft) in FY25 versus 917 069 m (3 008 753 ft) in FY24. The company’s fleet totals 708 rigs. Major Drilling is celebrating its 45ᵗʰ anniversary in 2025.
Perenti Drilling Services reported 2 520 949 m (8 270 830 ft) achieved through diamond drilling in FY2025 (ended June 30, 2025). The results mark an 8% increase over 2023. Furthermore, the company has reported increases in RC drilling and aircore results, as well as in revenue and profits. Formed by the mergers of drilling brands DDH1, Swick, Ausdrill, Ranger, and Strike, Perenti has added 9 drill rigs to its fleet, bringing their total to 312.
On the back of a transitional 2024, Boart Longyear has reported 2 238 556 m (7 344 344 ft) achieved through diamond drilling. The decrease can be attributed to the strategic exits from volatile parts of West Africa. Despite the decline, profitability has improved. Management noted they are on track to replace this volume in 2025 and continues their commitment to safety and strategic market entries.
Orbit Garant, celebrating its 40ᵗʰ anniversary this year, reported slightly lower results in FY2024 (ended June 30, 2024; FY2025 not yet available) with 1 310 460 m (4 299 409 ft) achieved, a 10% decrease from the record-breaking FY2023. This was caused by project tailwinds, which are expected to subside in 2025. The company is operating a total of 188 drill rigs and has put an emphasis on innovations in both safety and productivity for its fleet.
Canadian Forages Rouillier achieved 679 729 m (2 230 082 ft) in 2024 through diamond drilling. The company’s results are around 20% higher than in 2023.
Just a few thousand meters behind is Foraco International with 676 529 m (2 219 583 ft) achieved in 2024 (calendar year matches fiscal). Furthermore, the company reported 137 172 m (450 039 ft) of RC drilling and another 180 084 m (590 827 ft) of grade control. These results represent a sizeable decrease from 2023, which Foraco’s reports have attributed to its exit from several volatile markets. The company’s fleet stands at 255 drill rigs.
Hy-Tech Drilling reported a modest decrease in their results for 2024—540 535 m (1 773 409 ft) in 2024 versus 574 464 m (1 884 724 ft) in 2023. Management notes that this shift reflects a growing focus on high-altitude projects, where productivity is influenced by elevation and access. The company’s fleet has, however, increased by 12 machines, reaching 94 drill rigs.
RJLL Drilling, a Canadian company and new entrant to the statistics, reported 486 906 m (1 597 461 ft) achieved through diamond drilling. This result is nearly double their 2023 meterage, which was 252 704 m (829 081 ft). This growth was fueled by more demand, as the company was working on 16 projects in 2024, 7 more than the year prior. Similarly, RJLL’s fleet increased to 32 rigs.
The results of Geodrill and its South American subsidiary Recon Drilling for 2024 also mark an increase of over 20%. The company has drilled 439 645 m (1 442 405 ft) via DD, yet the majority of their results come from RC drilling—825 958 m (2 709 836 ft). The total fleet increased to 102 mostly multipurpose rigs. The company had 38 projects in 2024. As noted previously in Coring, Geodrill reported that 2024 was its best year ever in terms of earnings.
Another company that primarily performs other types of drilling, Capital Drilling, reported achieving 370 948 m (1 217 021 ft) via DD. This is a nearly 50% increase on the results for 2023. The company’s annual report also noted increases in almost every metric related to exploration drilling. Their diamond drilling fleet was 58 and the company had 17 DD projects.
Australian Topdrill, featured in this issue’s In Focus, has achieved 233 209 m (765 121 ft) through diamond drilling and another 672 738 m (2 207 146 ft) through RC. Both results are a tremendous growth from 2023, empowered by new projects. The company now has 45 diamond drilling projects utilizing 13 DD rigs, and another 79 RC projects being served by 18 RC rigs.
Arctic Drilling Company, based in Finland, reported 209 738 m (688 117 ft) achieved through diamond drilling and 27 748 m (91 037 ft) of RC drilling in 2024. The results mark a less than 5% increase in DD meterage and an 8% decrease in RC.
GEOPS, a company with similar results, has drilled 208 545 m (684 203 ft) in 2024. This diamond drilling result marks a less than 10% increase over the previous year and a continued trend of growth.
Turkish contractor and manufacturer Ortadoğu Drilling achieved 208 428 m (683 819 ft) through diamond drilling in 2024. This is a slight decrease from the year prior, as the company has 31 projects, 4 fewer than in 2023. Ortadoğu Drilling has 40 drill rigs.
Canadian contractor Team Drilling reported 162 000 m (531 496 ft) of DD for 2024. This is a decrease from 2023’s 189 500 m (621 719 ft).
Hall Core Drilling from South Africa reported a decrease in its DD results for 2024—141 902 m (465 558 ft) versus 170 392 m (559 029 ft) in 2023. The company has 28 drill rigs operating on 2 projects.
Finnish KATI Oy (read more about their Sakatti project here) reported a small contraction in its diamond drilling results, from 143 000 m (469 160 ft) in 2023 to 137 400 m (450 787 ft) in 2024. According to the company, results for 2025 will be better.
In FY2024 (ended March 31, 2025), New Zealand company Alton Drilling reported 98 641 m (323 625 ft) achieved through diamond drilling. The result is a 6000 m (19 685 ft) improvement over their number for FY2023. Read more about their WKP project here.
Canadian contractor Bryson Drilling, another new entry in the statistics, achieved 72 605 m (238 205 ft) through diamond drilling, which is an improvement of nearly 41% on 2023 results.
Coring Magazine extends its congratulations to all companies for their outstanding results and expresses gratitude for their support!
Disclaimer
Coring Magazine proudly presents the new statistics of ‘Top mineral exploration drilling contractors for 2024’ ranked by the number of meters achieved exclusively through diamond drilling. All figures were provided and verified by the companies, and were rounded to whole numbers where needed. Results include a mix of calendar and fiscal year data, as noted throughout the text.
Some qualifying companies are not listed, having either declined to participate or not responded.
Coring Magazine cannot be held liable for any errors or inconsistencies presented in this report.
